The Chicago Transit Board today approved an expansion of its Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) program. By scaling the program from six to 52 camera-equipped buses, the CTA in partnership with the City of Chicago will be better equipped to deter illegal parking in bus- and bike-only lanes and bus stops, directly addressing critical safety, accessibility, and bus service delay issues that impact tens of thousands of riders every day. This is the latest advancement of the City of Chicago’s Smart Streets pilot program and is a key investment in the region’s ongoing focus on bus service reliability under the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA).
The Smart Streets pilot program is an initiative with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Department of Finance (DOF) to use camera technology to automatically enforce parking and standing violations in bus and bike lanes, as well as bus stops.
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The city’s pilot zone area now encompasses 19 square miles, 1300 bus stops, nearly 8 miles of bus lanes and nearly 70 miles of bike lanes. Between October 15, 2025 and the end of May 2026, ABLE systems on buses captured a total of 21,686 warnings and violations in that area.
